World pole vault champion Sam Kendricks out of Olympics after testing positive for COVID-19

Published July 29, 2021 12:05pm

EUGENE, OREGON - JUNE 21: Sam Kendricks competes in the Men's Pole Vault Final during day four of the 2020 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team Trials at Hayward Field on June 21, 2021 in Eugene, Oregon. Andy Lyons/Getty Images/AFP

World pole vault champion Sam Kendricks was ruled out of the Tokyo Games on Thursday after testing positive for coronavirus, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee confirmed.

"We are saddened to confirm that Sam Kendricks tested positive for Covid-19 and will not compete in the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020," the USOPC said in a statement on Twitter.

Kendricks won the gold medal at the 2019 world championships in Doha and was one of the main contenders for the title in Tokyo.

The men's pole vault event will feature one Filipino athlete in EJ Obiena.

—Agence France-Presse

Tags: Pole Vault, 2020 Tokyo Olympics